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UNIVLiiSin  Of  ILLINOIS 


RAPID  TRANSIT. 


“  THE  BEST  MEANS  OF  RAPID  TRANSIT  FOR  PASSENGERS 
IN  AND  ABOUT  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK.” 

A  COMMUNICATION  BY 

RICHARD  P.  MORGAN,  JR.,  C.E., 


Messrs.  O.  CHANUTE,  M.  N.  FORNEY,  CHARLES  K.  GRAHAM, 
FRANCIS  COLLINGWOOD,  ASHBEL  WELCH 
and  Gen.  J.  G.  BARNARD, 

SPECIAL  COMMITTEE 

OF  THE 

“2lmmcftn  Society  of  €ioil  (ffngineers.” 


NEW  YORK: 

JOHN  F.  TROW  &  SON,  PRINTERS, 

205-213  East  Twelfth  Stbeet. 

1874. 


'~‘.T0AT¥!  EXCKA.NGE  2  A.UG,iaUi 

AM.  SOC-  CIVIL  ENGINEER 


RAPID  TRANSIT. 


“  THE  BEST  MEANS  OF  RAPID  TRANSIT  FOR  PASSENGERS 
IN  AND  ABOUT  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK.” 


A  COMMUNICATION  BY 


RICHARD  P.  MORGAN,  JR.,  C.E., 


TO 


Messrs.  O.  CHANUTE,  M.  N.  FORNEY,  CHARLES  K.  GRAHAM, 
FRANCIS  COLLINGWOOD,  ASHBEL  WELCH 
and  Gen.  J.  G.  BARNARD, 

SPECIAL  COMMITTEE 

OF  THE 

“Jlmerican  Soeielg  of  ®ioil  (Engineers.” 


NEW  YORK: 

JOHN  F.  TROW  &  SON,  PRINTERS, 

205-213  East  Twelfth  Stbeet. 

1874. 


AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEERS, 
63  WILLIAM  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


September  15  th,  1874.  1 

Sir  i — At  the  regular  meeting  held  September  3d,  1874,  it 
was — 


V. 


££  Resolved,  that  a  Committee  of  five  members  of  this  Society 
“  be  appointed  by  the  President,  to  investigate  the  necessary  con. 
££  ditions  of  success,  and  to  recommend  plans  for — ” 

“  First  :  The  best  means  of  rapid  transit  for  passengers,  and  ” 

££  Second:  The  best  and  cheapest  methods  of  delivering,  stor- 
££  ing  and  distributing  goods  and  freight — ” 

££  in  and  about  the  city  of  New  York ;  with  instructions  to  ex- 
“  amine  plans,  and  to  receive  suggestions  such  as  parties  interest- 
cc  ed  in  the  matter  may  choose  to  offer,  and  to  report  on  or  before 
££the  first  day  of  December,  1874.” 

££  Messrs.  O.  Chanute,  M.  N.  Forney,  Ashbel  Welch,  Char¬ 
les  K.  Graham,  Genl.  J.  G.  Barnard,  and  Francis  Colling- 
wood  were  appointed  such  Committee.” 

You  will  confer  a  favor  upon  the  Committee  and  the  Society  by 
furnishing  whatever  contribution  or  suggestions  you  may  deem  of 
value  on  the  above  subjects,  or  by  calling  attention  to  the  sources 
of  such  information.  Due  credit  will  be  given  for  all  aid  ren¬ 
dered  to  the  Committee. 

In  referring  to  plans  proposed  to  accomplish  these  objects,  it  is 
particularly  desired  to  ascertain  accurately — 

1st.  The  route  and  location  proposed,  and  the  reasons  thereof. 

2d.  The  character  of  structure  proposed  in  various  parts  of  the 
city. 

3d.  A  close  estimate  of  the  cost  in  detail. 

It  is  greatly  preferred  that  all  communications  shall  be  in 
writing. 


Please  address, 


G.  LEYERICH, 

Secretary. 

To 

Richard  P.  Morgan  Jr.,  C.  E., 

Bloomington,  Illinois. 


COMMUNICATION. 


Messes.  O.  Chanute,  M.  N.  Forney,  Ashbel  Welch, 
Charles  K.  Graham,  Gen.  J.  G.  Barnard,  and  Fran¬ 
cis  Collingwood,  Committee  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers : 

Gentlemen  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  your  circular,  dated  September  15th  ult., 
in  which  you  request  suggestions  and  plans  for  the 
best  means  of  Rapid  Transit  for  passengers,  and  also 
the  best  and  cheapest  methods  of  delivering,  storing, 
and  distributing  goods  and  freight  in  the  city  of 
New  York. 

I  am  gratified  to  learn  that  a'subject  of  so  much 
interest  to  the  inhabitants  of  New  York,  and  other 
large  cities,  is  about  to  receive  the  examination  of  a 
society  like  that  which  you  represent,  made  up  of 
individuals  whose  personal  and  professional  char¬ 
acter  will  be  likely  to  command,  for  the  conclusions 
it  may  reach,  the  confidence  of  the  public  at  large, 
as  well  as  that  of  other  members  of  the  profession. 

The  great  object  to  be  attained  clearly  seems  to  be 
the  rapid  transit  of  persons  between  different  parts 
of  the  city,  rather  than  the  carriage  and  delivery  of 
merchandise  in  it.  Already  all  parts  of  the  city,  by 
reason  of  its  peculiar  geography,  enjoy  excellent 
facilities  for  the  receipt  and  delivery  of  property. 
The  width  of  the  Island  at  no  point  exceeds  about 
two  miles,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  navigable  waters, 


6 


so  that  all  supplies  or  property  coming  in,  as  well  as 
merchandise  going  out,  easily  pass  between  the 
water  and  place  of  destination.  Any  resident  of 
New  York  will,  upon  a  little  reflection,  perceive 
what  a  vast  proportion,  in  both  weight  and  bulk,  of 
all  the  property  coming  to,  and  going  from  it,  are 
moved  by  water.  This  includes,  not  only  all  the 
foreign  and  coastwise  commerce,  but  also  all  the  rail¬ 
road  transportation,  except  that  which  passes  over 
two  lines  : — the  Hudson  River  and  Harlem  railroads. 
Nature  has  already  provided  the  means  of  cheap  and 
rapid  transit  of  property  as  it  does  not  exist  in  any 
other  of  the  great  cities  of  the  world ;  but  the  very 
peculiarities  which  give  this  great  advantage  only 
increase  the  difficulty  as  to  the  transit  of  ^persons , 
inasmuch  as  the  long  and  narrow  island  compels  the 
latter  to  move  lengthwise  of  its  surface  over  great 
and  rapidly  increasing  distances,  between  those  parts 
of  it  occupied  for  business  and  those  for  residences. 
While  the  plan  hereinafter  to  be  described,  it  is 
believed,  could  be  made  as  useful  in  the  transporta¬ 
tion  of  property  as  any  railroad  not  upon  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  still  that  does  not  seem  to  be  the  prob¬ 
lem  to  be  solved,  nor  is  it  the  use  for  which  the  pro¬ 
posed  road  is  mainly  intended.  However  merchan¬ 
dise  may  come  to,  or  go  from,  New  York,  it  must  be 
taken  to  and  from  the  warehouse  where  it  is  stored, 
and  the  station  where  it  is  received  in  course  of  trans¬ 
portation,  by  vehicles  through  the  streets.  As  no 
means  of  public  transportation  can  be  devised  which 
will  receive  and  deliver  goods  at  the  warehouses  of 
each  individual  dealer,  the  necessity  for  dray  age 
must  always  exist;  and  within  the  moderate  distances, 


7 


as  in  New  York,  any  attainable  diminution  is  com¬ 
paratively  unimportant.  Tlie  foregoing  considera¬ 
tions  have  induced  the  omission,  in  this  discussion, 
of  plans  for  receiving,  delivering,  and  distributing 
goods  except  as  thus  briefly  suggested ;  and  have 
confined  my  attention  mainly,  for  several  years  past, 
to  devising  the,  best  means  for  the  rapid  transit  of 
persons  in  New  York  and  other  large  cities. 

It  may  be  assumed,  without  discussion  before  such 
a  body  as  you  represent,  that  the  only  feasible 
method  yet  devised  for  the  quick  carriage  of  pas¬ 
sengers  in  cities,  is  by  a  railway  on  which  the  motive 
power  used  shall  be  the  locomotive  engine — both 
road  and  engine  to  be  modified  to  suit  the  special 
circumstances  of  the  service  required.  Such  a  road 
cannot  be  safely  worked  upon  the  level  of  the  streets  ; 
and  it  follows,  therefore,  that  it  must  be  constructed 
and  operated  in  one  of  three  methods: 

1st.  Below  the  level  of  the  streets,  by  tunnels  or 
their  equivalents. 

2d.  Upon  a  new  avenue,  to  be  opened  for  the  road 
itself  through  existing  blocks,  and  so  elevated  as 
not  to  interfere  with  streets  it  may  intersect ;  or, 

3d.  By  using  the  lines  of  present  streets  so  as  not 
to  interfere  with  their  ordinary  occupation. 

The  construction  of  any  underground  road,  espe¬ 
cially  in  the  city  of  New  York,  must  be  so  expensive 
as  to  render  the  probability  of  profit  to  the  stock¬ 
holders,  to  say  the  least,  extremely  doubtful. 

In  the  lower  part  of  that  city  such  works  must  be 
constructed  in  loose  sand,  where  the  support  of  ex¬ 
isting  heavy  buildings  will  be  very  difficult  and 
hazardous ;  and  in  the  upper  part  they  must  be  ex- 


8 


cavated  in  solid  rock,  contorted  in  various  directions, 
and  full  of  seams  and  fissures.  No  tunnel,  properly 
so  called,  can  be  built  in  it  except  at  a  depth  so 
great  below  the  surface,  to  secure  a  natural  roof,  that 
access  to  it  becomes  nearly  impracticable,  and  light 
and  ventilation,  by  natural  means,  impossible.  It 
would  probably  be  found  necessary  to  take  up  the 
whole,  or  a  large  part,  of  the  surface  of  any  street 
during  the  time  required  to  excavate  the  road  and  to. 
change  the  sewers,  and  the  gas  and  water  mains  and 
all  their  connections,  and  to  roof  over  the  street 
again  by  some  means,  so  as  to  leave  beneath  room 
for  the  passage  of  trains.  To  do  this  would,  during 
that  time,  nearly  or  quite  destroy  the  usefulness  of 
the  street  for  all  ordinary  purposes.  How  much 
time  such  a  work  would  require  it  is  difficult  to  esti¬ 
mate,  but  that  it  would  be  very  considerable  will  be 
obvious  to  your  Committee.  The  objection  to  any 
plan  of  underground  road,  arising  from  defective 
ventilation,  is  very  serious,  and  if  locomotives  be 
used  as  a  motive  power,  that  difficulty  will  be  greatly 
increased,  by  the  vast  quantities  of  deleterious  gases 
generated  by  the  combustion  of  the  fuel  employed, 
whatever  that  may  be,  and  which,  to  a  serious  degree, 
will  incommode,  and  even  endanger,  passengers.  The 
real  extent  of  this  objection  is  shown  in  the  report  of 
James  P.  Kirkwood,  C.E.,  on  the  London  Under¬ 
ground  Railway,  made  to  the  Senate  Special  Com¬ 
mission  of  the  State  of  New  York,  November  10th, 
1866. 

With  reference  to  the  cost  of  such  a  road,  I  de¬ 
sire  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Committee  to  the 
official  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Great 


9 


* 


Britain,  presented  to  Parliament  in  1871,  being  the 
only  official  statement  which  has  come  under  my 
notice.  In  that  report  the  length  of  the  London 
Underground  Railway,  then  completed  and  worked, 
is  stated  to  be  seventeen  miles,  and  the  total  capital 
represented  by  stock,  loans,  and  debentures,  is  given 
as  .£12,575,264  sterling.  This  gives  a  cost  of  about 
$3,700,000  per  mile.  The  circumstances  for  the 
construction  of  such  a  road  in  London  are  much 
more  favorable  than  they  are  in  New  York, — the 
natural  obstacles  are  not  so  great,  while  all  the 
material,  labor,  and  money  required  for  such  con¬ 
struction  cost  less.  As  no  accurate  estimate  of  the 
cost  of  such  a  road  in  New  York  can  be  made,  a 
comparative  one  becomes  very  suggestive,  and  prob¬ 
ably  conclusive.  The  plan  of  roads  to  be  con¬ 
structed  upon  independent  avenues,  to  be  opened 
through  the  blocks,  is  one  which  has  been  recom¬ 
mended  by  such  respectable  authority,  and  possesses 
such  intrinsic  merits,  as  entitle  it  to  careful  and 
candid  consideration.  The  fact  that  it  does  not  in¬ 
terfere  with  the  present  streets,  except  where  it 
crosses  them,  is  one  of  its  most  striking  features, 
and  is  an  advantage  really  great,  but  perhaps  un¬ 
duly  exaggerated.  Giving  this  plan  all  credit  in 
this  respect,  still  objections  have  been  overlooked, 
or  not  sufficiently  considered.  To  build  such  a  road, 
the  existing  blocks  must  be  cut  in  two,  and  the 
property  thus  taken  lost  for  business  uses.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  present  streets 
are  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  wants  of  the 
property  for  business  purposes,  and  therefore  the 
new  avenue  proposed  sacrifices  just  so  much  land 


10 


as  it  occupies  out  of  an  area  already  limited,  and 
which  is  valuable  because  it  is  limited.  Further 
in  this  connection,  it  should  be  considered  that  to 
accommodate  reasonably  well  the  present  needs 
of  the  residents  of  New  York,  more  than  one  such 
avenue  would  be  required  ;  and  in  an  early  future, 
unless  the  city  shall  be  strangled  in  its  growth  by 
lack  of  suitable  means  of  transit,  many  avenues 
will  be  needed,  and  therefore  by  this  plan  a  very 
material  portion  of  the  whole  area  of  the  city  would 
be  needlessly  sacrificed.  The  great  expense  of  the 
right  of  way,  and  that  of  constructing  the  road  it¬ 
self,  whatever  particular  structure  may  be  adopted, 
whether  viaduct  or  depressed,  or  other  form,  can  be 
easily  seen,  but  not  readily  estimated  with  any  de¬ 
gree  of  accuracy.  When,  as  in  parts  of  New  York, 
land,  irresjDective  of  buildings,  is  worth  millions  of 
dollars  an  acre,  the  cost  of  the  right  of  way  of  such 
a  road  would  alone  seem  to  render  it  impracticable. 
The  cost  of  the  structure,  if  it  should  be  a  viaduct 
of  masonry,  or  an  iron  structure  elevated  as  it  must  be 
to  pass  over  all  the  cross  streets,  would  be  very  great. 
Add  together  these  sums,  and  it  seems  certain  that 
its  cost,  without  regard  to  loss  of  area  to  the  city, 
and  length  of  time  occupied  in  its  construction,  would 
be  so  enormous  as  to  render  its  profitable  working  a 
simple  impossibility.  It  should  not  be  forgotten 
that  this  plan,  no  more  than  the  underground,  pre¬ 
sents  a  possibility  of  prompt  relief.  Several  years 
must  be  consumed  in  the  completion  of  either. 

The  Senate  Special  Commission,  in  their  report  to 
the  Senate  of  New  York,  upon  “  the  best  means  for 
the  transportation  of  passengers  in  the  city  of  New 


11 


York,”  say,  “That  a  system  of  railways  running 
wholly  through  blocks  would  involve  an  expense  for 
the  right  of  way,  and  resulting  damages,  which  would 
render  it  impracticable  to  convey  passengers  for  long 
distances,  at  rates  of  fare  as  low  as  the  necessities  of 
the  case  require,  and  would,  moreover,  involve  too 
great  delay  in  the  acquisition  of  the  right  of  way 
required.” 

This  brief  summary  of  two  systems  of  roads  is 
presented  as  conclusions  which  seem  to  have  been 
reached  after  a  protracted  and  full  discussion,  and 
experiences  of  their  merits,  since  the  Report  of  the 
Senate  Special  Commission,  January,  1867,  and  are 
deductions  which  I  have  endeavored  to  make  with 
as  much  accuracy  as  possible,  when  so  briefly  stated. 

If  these  views  are  correct,  we  must  resort  to  the 
plans  for  some  elevated  road,  over  and  on  the  line 
of  existing  streets. 

One  great  advantage  is  offered  by  these  plans : 
they  propose  to  utilize  more  fully  the  land  already 
open  for  public  transit,  and  thus  have  the  merit  of 
not  interfering  with  existing  property  rights,  nor 
reducing  the  area  applicable  to  private  business  pur¬ 
poses,  nor  interfering  materially  with  the  ordinary 
uses  of  the  streets.  The  present  streets  are  pro¬ 
posed  to  be  made  more  useful  for  the  very  jDuiposes 
for  which  they  already  exist.  These  plans  also  have 
the  merit  of  economy  as  to  money,  time,  and  space. 
They  offer  little  obstruction  while  in  process  of 
erection;  and  as  the  parts  will  be  prepared  and 
fitted  to  each  other  before  they  are  brought  to  their 
places,  the  structure  can  be  very  quickly  put  up, 
and  during  that  work  will  occupy  no  more'  of  the 


library 

UNIVERSITY  OF  HIINOIS 


12 


street  than  is  now  used  by  the  erection  of  new 
buildings.  It  is  also  evident  that  the  cost  of  such 
structures  can  be  accurately  estimated  before  the 
work  is  begun — a  valuable  feature  in  marked  con¬ 
trast  with  the  systems  before  mentioned.  The  va¬ 
rious  parts  of  a  suitable  structure  are  also  capable 
of  easy  computation  as  to  requisite  strength,  and 
are  in  familiar  use  in  the  railroad  systems  of  the 
world  for  analogous  purposes. 

A  railroad  constructed  over  the  centre  of  the  car¬ 
riage-way  of  streets,  at  suitable  height,  has  the  ad¬ 
vantages  of  offering  the  least  obstruction  to  their 
ordinary  use,  and  of  interfering  in  the  least  degree, 
if  the  structure  is  suitably  open,  with  the  light  and 
ventilation  of  adjacent  buildings.  The  space  thus 
proposed  to  be  occupied  is  now  vacant,  and  the  least 
useful  of  any  part  of  the  area  of  the  street.  It  fur¬ 
nishes  light  and  air,  and  nothing  else,  and  this  it 
would  continue  to  do  almost  as  perfectly  were  the 
road  constructed.  The  actual  surface,  of  the  street 
occupied  will  consist  solely  of  the  bases  of  the 
frames  which  sustain  the  structure;  and  as  these 
are  proposed  to  rest  upon  the  sidewalk,  near  the 
curb-stone — the  portion  of  the  surface  of  the  street 
least  valuable  for  general  use — the  obstruction  is 
thereby  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  need  not  exceed 
one-thousandth  part  of  the  surface  area  of  the  street. 

Before  proceeding  to  state  more  in  detail  the  plan 
which  I  propose,  some  considerations  as  to  other 
plans  may  be  suggested.  Of  the  various  elevated 
plans  recommended  in  the  report  of  the  Senate 
Special  Commission,  the  one  appearing  to  them 
“to  have  been  most  carefully  prepared,  the  most 


13 


free  from  engineering  difficulties,  involving  the 
question  of  safety,  and  the  least  objectionable  as  to 
the  application  of  the  motive  power,”  was  that 
designed  by  Mr.  C.  T.  Harvey,  C.  E.  This  jdan 
is  sufficiently  designated  as  the  one  now  so  well 
known  as  the  Greenwich  Street  Elevated  Railroad, 
as  originally  constructed,  supported  by  a  single 
line  of  posts  near  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk,  on  which 
the  cars  were  to  be  propelled  by  means  of  a  series 
of  endless  wire  ropes,  moved  by  stationary  engines, 
placed  at  intervals  of  about  fifteen  hundred  feet. 
This  method  of  propulsion  proved  impracticable, 
and  after  it  had  been  provided  and  attempted  to  be 
used,  the  company  who  erected  the  road  were 
compelled  to  abandon  it  and  substitute  therefor 
locomotive  engines,  for  which  their  road  was  ill 
adapted;  and  yet,  the  structure  employing  a  motive 
power  not  originally  intended,  has  met,  it  is  said, 
with  a  measurable  degree  of  success.  Among  all 
the  roads  proposed  to  secure  rapid  transit  in  New 
York,  .this  is  the  only  one  which  has,  even  in  part, 
been  brought  into  practical  use,  and  it  has  demon¬ 
strated  three  things: — 1st,  That  the  occupation  of 
the  sidewalk  near  the  curbstone  by  the  posts  sup¬ 
porting  the  road,  which  are  much  more  frequent 
than  in  the  plan  I  propose,  injures  the  public  inap¬ 
preciably;  2d,  that  the  passage  of  locomotive  en¬ 
gines  and  cars  partly  over  the  sidewalks,  subjects 
the  occupants  of  adjacent  buildings  to  little  annoy¬ 
ance  ;  3d,  that  the  passage  of  such  engines  has  no 
effect  in  frightening  animals  on  the  street.  What¬ 
ever  the  engineering  defects  of  the  structure  of 
that  road  may  be,  it  is  fairly  entitled  to  the 


14 


credit  of  being  the  pioneer  of  rapid  transit  in  New 
York. 

The  only  other  plan  which  has  been  suggested 
for  the  construction  of  an  elevated  road  in  the 
streets  that  seems  to  invite  consideration,  proposes 
to  set  up,  at  intervals  of  about  sixteen  feet,  posts 
in  the  middle  of  the  roadway  to  support  tracks  for 
the  passage  of  engines  and  cars. 

Heretofore  it  has  always  been  assumed  that  any 
plan  for  rapid  transit  must  leave  the  carriage-way  of 
the  street  entirely  unobstructed,  and  engineers  have 
therefore  directed  their  attention  to  devising  methods 
which  would  secure  the  end  desired  without  infring¬ 
ing  upon  this  indispensable  requisite.  The  structure 
thus  proposed  is  the  first  one  ever  suggested  which 
designs  to  use  any  portion  of  the  carriage-way  for  the 
support  of  a  railroad.  It  is  nothing  more  than  a  sim¬ 
ple  trestle  bridge,  made  of  iron  it  is  true,  which  has 
been  known  since  bridges  were  first  used  for  the 
crossing  of  small  streams.  If  such  a  primitive  plan 
can  be  tolerated  in  the  numerous  avenues  that  must 
be  brought  into  this  service  to  properly  accommo¬ 
date  the  public,  the  labor  of  the  last  twelve  or  fifteen 
years,  which  was  devoted  to  this  subject,  was  quite 
useless,  and  the  delay  and  inconvenience  which  the 
jDeople  of  New  York  have  suffered  were  unnecessary. 
Such  a  road  would  be  cheaper,  equally  efficient  and 
more  quickly  constructed  than  any  other  road  not  on 
the  surface.  It  is  extraordinary  to  say  the  least  that 
a  road  so  built  should  not,  long  ago,  have  been  pro¬ 
posed,  if  it  is  to  be  permitted,  and  therefore  it  must 
have  been  kept  in  the  background  for  sound  and  ob¬ 
vious  reasons.  Nothing  but  the  great  and  increasing 


15  • 

necessity  of  the  people  of  New  York  for  means  of 
rapid  transit,  and  the  want  of  success  in  the  adop¬ 
tion  of  other  plans  proposed  and  generally  discussed, 
could  probably  have  induced  the  suggestion  of  such 
apian, — one  which  subjects  the  public  to  such  seri¬ 
ous  inconveniences,  and  sets  aside  all  considerations 
except  those  of  mere  utility  in  construction.  The 
objections  seem  to  be  insurmountable.  Suppose  the 
road  to  be  constructed  as  has  been  suggested  along 
Third  Avenue,  over  the  present  surface  railroad 
tracks.  The  width  of  the  supports  of  a  double  track 
railroad  so  elevated  must  be  more  than  twenty  feet. 
The  carriage-way  of  that  avenue  is  sixty  feet,  and 
there  would  be  left  therefore,  on  either  side  of  the 
trestle-work,  less  than  twenty  feet  in  width.  The 
middle  of  the  carriage-way  of  any  street  is  always 
the  part  most  useful,  because  near  the  curb-stone 
teams  necessarily  stop  to  load  and  unload,  and  ob¬ 
struct,  in  that  part  of  the  street,  the  passage  of  ve¬ 
hicles,  and  two  teams  going  in  opposite  directions, 
with  but  twenty  feet  space,  could  not  pass  each 
other  whilst  a  team  was  loading  or  unloading  at  the 
sidewalk.  If  the  posts  or  bents  to  support  the  ele¬ 
vated  road  are  set  up  at  intervals  of  sixteen  feet,  as 
proposed,  teams  can  cross  the  track  only  substan¬ 
tially  at  right  angles,  and  if  the  present  surface  road 
is  to  continue  in  use,  such  crossing,  hemmed  in  by 
posts  which  they  must  pass,  becomes  difficult  for 
fear  of  collision  with  the  street-cars.  At  present 
passing  teams  use  that  part  of  the  street  occupied 
by  the  railroad  tracks,  and  are  able,  without  diffi¬ 
culty,  to  turn  offi  when  the  approach  of  a  car  makes 
it  necessary ;  but  if  those  surface  tracks  are  to  be 


16 


run  between  rows  of  posts,  set  np  on  both  sides 
sixteen  feet  apart,  it  will  be  difficult  for  any,  and 
impossible  for  many,  of  the  vehicles  to  get  on  or  oif 
that  part  of  the  street,  except  to  make  a  direct  and 
hazardous  crossing.  In  effect,  it  is  to  give  up  one- 
third  or  more  of  the  carriage-way  of  the  street  en¬ 
tirely  to  railroad  uses,  and  destroy  it  for  all  pur¬ 
poses  of  ordinary  traffic.  The  part  thus  surren¬ 
dered  is  that,  the  use  of  which  for  ordinary  pur¬ 
poses  most  facilitates  the  use  of  the  other  parts — 
the  sides  and  sidewalks — for  the  purposes  which 
they  alone  can  effect.  In  narrower  streets  than  the 
avenues,  these  objections  become  still  greater, — un¬ 
less,  indeed,  the  street  is  so  narrow  as  to  be  spanned 
by  the  bents  of  the  trestle-work,  in  which  case  the 
proposed  structure  becomes  one  supported  over  the 
carriage-way  by  posts  resting  on  the  sidewalks,  and 
frees  itself  from  what  must  be  regarded  as  vital  ob¬ 
jections. 

Keeping  in  view  what  has  already  been  suggested 
of  the  importance  of  utilizing  the  space  over  the 
central  portion  of  the  roadway  in  the  existing  streets, 
— if  the  same  can  be  done  without  serious  interfer¬ 
ence  with  their  present  use,  or  injury  to  the  adjacent 
property,  by  a  structure  not  too  costly, — it  would 
seem  that  a  plan  combining  all  these  advantages 
recommends  itself  to  public  favor  and  adoption.  To 
this  end,  I  have  devised  and  patented  a  plan  for 
sustaining  a  double-track  railway  over  the  centre  of 
the  street  at  such  elevation  as  not  to  interfere  with 
its  ordinary  use,  and  occupying,  at  the  surface  by  the 
supports,  a  space  least  in  amount  and  value.  It  is 
evident  that  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk  near  the  curb- 


17 


stone  is  the  least  useful  for  general  purposes.  Upon 
this  space  I  propose  to  erect  iron  ribs  opposite  each 
other,  and  meeting  over  the  center  of  the  street  in 
the  form  of  a  Gothic  Arch,  springing  from  a  tan¬ 
gent  line  perpendicular  to  the  sidewalk  at  the  walk, 
or  at  any  suitable  height  above  it,  depending  upon 
the  width  of  the  street  or  changes  in  the  grade  of  its 
surface.  Between  these  outer  ribs,  a  flat  elliptical 
rib  is  placed  at  an  elevation  above  the  street  so  as 
not  to  interfere  with  its  use,  and  firmly  secured  to 
the  outer  ribs  by  such  connections  as  will  appear  in 
the  plans  herewith  submitted,  and  so  as  to  form  a 
competent  transverse  frame,  such  frames  to  be  set  up 
at  suitable  intervals, — say  about  seventy-five  feet,  as 
an  economical  distance.  The  office  of  these  frames 
is  the  same  as  that  of  the  piers  of  an  ordinary  bridge, 
to  sustain  a  series  of  longitudinal  trusses,  which  lat¬ 
ter  carry  a  double-track  railway  above  and  over  the 
middle  of  the  street.  The  cars  move  on  the  tracks 
above  the  elliptical  and  under  the  outer  ribs  before 
described.  Carefully  constructed  foundations  of 
masonry  are  brought  up  from  any  needed  depth  to 
the  sidewalk,  and  there,  capped  wdth  an  iron  bed¬ 
plate  and  sleeve,  to  receive  and  unite  with  the  exte¬ 
rior  ribs.  From  the  middle  of  the  lower  elliptical 
ribs  to  the  apex  of  the  outer  ribs,  a  longitudinal  iron 
truss  extends  from  frame  to  frame,  and,  aided  by 
similar  trusses  on  each  side,  supports  the  tracks.  Be¬ 
tween  those  outer  trusses,  and  passing  across  the 
bottom  cord  of  the  middle  one,  are  laid,  at  suitable 
intervals,  the  floor -beams,  also  of  iron,  which  di¬ 
rectly  supports  the  tracks.  These  floor-beams  are  to 
be  connected  diagonally,  so  that  they  sliall  act  as  a 
2 


18 


horizontal  truss  to  prevent  any  lateral  swaying  of 
the  structure,  the  whole  to  be  left  open  so  as  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  accumulation  of  snow  or  other  obstructions, 
and  to  avoid  interference  with  the  light  and  ventila¬ 
tion  of  the  streets  as  far  as  possible.  The  outer 
and  inner  ribs  are  firmly  united  by  horizontal,  verti¬ 
cal,  and  diagonal  connections,  so  arranged  that  the 
resultants  of  forces  acting  upon  them,  derived  from 
the  weight  of  the  railroad  and  rolling  stock,  are 
uniformly  resisted.  The  curved  line  of  the  outer 
ribs  enforces  their  yielding  in  one  direction  only — 
outwardly — which  is  readily  and  effectually  met  by 
the  interior  connections.  The  railroad  is  thus  sus¬ 
pended,  and  constitutes  a  load  on  the  exterior  of  the 
arches  equally  distributed.  The  outer  ribs  are  not 
bearing-posts  simply,  unaided  by  the  principles  re¬ 
ferred  to,  except  that  portion  of  them  below  the 
intersection  of  the  interior  rib  with  them, — about 
ten  feet  in  height  above  the  foundations.  For  this 
portion  of  those  ribs  the  necessary  additional  mate¬ 
rial  is  introduced  to  overcome  the  loss  of  sustaining 
power,  compared  with  that  of  a  straight  post,  occa¬ 
sioned  by  the  slight  deflection  of  the  curved  rib. 
In  all  other  parts  of  the  frames,  the  greatest  econo¬ 
my  in  the  use  of  material  is  attained.  Access  to  the 
cars  is  proposed  to  be  given  by  covered  ways  and 
platforms,  constructed  of  iron  and  glass,  leading  from 
stations  provided  at  suitable  intervals,  and  in  which 
passengers  can  wait  for  the  arrival  of  cars.  These 
waiting-rooms  should  be  in  the  buildings  on  both 
sides  of  the  streets,  one  for  up  and  one  for  down 
cars,  so  as  to  make  it  unnecessary  for  any  passenger 
ever  to  cross,  or  even  to  go  upon  the  tracks.  If  the 


19 


platforms  are  placed  opposite  the  cross  streets,  as  it 
is  desirable  they  should  be,  the  light  of  buildings  on 
the  street  will  be  unaffected.  The  approaches  to 
the  waiting-rooms  will  be  by  staircases  in  the 
buildings  in  which  the  waiting-rooms  are  situated. 
The  floor  of  the  cars,  the  top  chord  of  the  side 
trusses,  and  the  floor  of  the  platform  leading  from 
the  station,  should  be  upon  the  sand  level,  so  as  to 
offer  no  obstruction  in  obtaining  access  to  the  cars. 
The  durability  of  the  material  employed,  and  the 
facility  with  which  repairs  can  be  made  by  reason 
of  the  ready  access  to  every  part,  and  its  being 
practically  unaffected  by  rain,  frost,  or  snow,  and 
its  greater  freedom  by  reason  of  its  material,  and 
its  location  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  from  danger 
of  injury  by  the  burning  of  adjacent  buildings, 
combine  to  secure  the  perfection  of  the  work,  and 
thus  insure  the  safety  and  regularity  of  trains  pass¬ 
ing  over  it.  It  is  easily  seen  that  such  a  road  as 
this,  suitably  constructed,  will  approach  more 
nearly  to  a  perfect  railroad  than  any  road  yet  built 
ever  has ;  it  will  have  no  switches  on  its  line  of 
travel  to  be  misplaced ;  very  slight  irregularity  of 
surface  or  of  alignment  in  its  tracks;  and  conse¬ 
quently  the  dangers  of  existing  railroad  travel 
already  less  than  those  of  any  other  means  of  com¬ 
munication,  and  which  are  mainly  due  to  those  two 
causes,  will  be  reduced  to  a  minimum.  To  some  per¬ 
sons,  the  fact  that  the  road  is  at  all  points  consider¬ 
ably  elevated  above  the  ground  may  suggest  a  fear 
of  danger  in  case  of  accident  by  derailment.  What 
is  stated  above  shows  the  small  risk  that  such  an  ac¬ 
cident  can  occur ;  but  even  if  it  should,  the  arrange- 


20 


ment  of  the  structure  is  such  that  the  effect  will  be 
no  greater  than  to  a  train  running  off  a  track  on 
the  level  of  the  earth.  The  iron  framework  sup¬ 
porting  the  track  will,  in  such  a  case,  uphold  the 
cars,  and  the  side  trusses  will  act  as  a  real  and  sub¬ 
stantial  railing,  so  that  in  no  case  can  the  cars  be 
precipitated  to  the  ground.  These  considerations 
also  demonstrate  the  increased  capacity  of  such  a 
road  over  one  of  ordinary  construction.  The  more 
nearly  perfect  the  road,  the  greater  the  certainty 
wdth  which  trains  can  be  worked  upon  it,  and  the 
more  frequently  they  may  safely  be  passed  over  it. 
It  is  difficult  to  see  why  trains  may  not  follow  each 
other  at  no  greater  intervals  than  may  be  required 
to  check  the  speed  of  one,  so  as  to  insure  the  safety 
of  that  immediately  preceding  it.  These  intervals, 
with  the  light  trains  proposed  to  be  employed  in 
passenger  traffic,  and  their  consequent  small  mo¬ 
mentum,  will  be  so  short  that  no  more  than  a  sin¬ 
gle  minute  of  time  need  be  interposed  on  either 
track  between  the  passage  of  trains,  thus  insuring 
a  degree  of  efficiency  such  as  has  not  been  in  prac¬ 
tice  attained  on  any  road  yet  constructed.  This 
frequency  of  trains  is  an  indispensable  element  of 
success  in  whatever  plan  of  road  may  be  adopted, 
and  without  it  neither  the  wants  of  the  inhabitants 
of  New  York  can  be  met,  nor  the  confidence  of 
capitalists  to  construct  the  road  be  secured. 

For  the  purpose  of  carrying  persons  up  and  down 
Manhattan  Island,  it  is  not  necessary  to  use  the 
immense  locomotives  and  trains  so  familiar  to  us 
all.  Light  and  perfectly  enclosed  engines,  with  suit¬ 
able  cars,  can  be  run  on  a  properly  constructed  road 


21 


with  great  frequency,  giving  large  capacity  for  the 
purpose  desired ;  nor  will  it  be  contended  that  such 
engines  and  trains  passing  on  several  lines,  at  brief 
intervals  on  each  route,  would  fail  to  serve  the  pub¬ 
lic  convenience  better,  and  with  greater  safety  than 
the  ordinary  engines  and  trains  in  general  use  in 
the  United  States, — trains  heavy  in  themselves,  and 
designed  to  move  great  accumulated  weights.  The 
momentum  of  such  trains  renders  frequent  stops 
very  difficult, — hence  the  public  convenience  in  this 
regard  cannot  be  well  served  by  their  use.  A  loco¬ 
motive  weighing  six  tons,  with  a  suitable  train  of 
cars,  is  competent  to  move  one  hundred  and  fifty 
passengers  on  the  proposed  road  with  less  noise  than 
is  made  by  an  empty  omnibus,  and  this  too  at  any 
desirable  speed,  and  with  any  grades  that  the  larger 
engines  and  corresponding  heavy  trains  can  work 
upon  successfully.  Reduce  the  problem  to  its  sim¬ 
ple  and  true  form, — the  transportation  of  persons , — 
and  it  may  be  doubted  if  any  one  of  extended 
experience  in  such  matters  will  advocate  for  New 
York  the  cumbersome  and  heavy  engines  and  trains 
employed  on  our  standard  railroads,  where  the  stops 
are  infrequent  and  the  uses  so  different.  The  access 
to  cars  on  this  road  would  be  quite  as  convenient  as 
to  those  of  any  other.  Whatever  road  is  built  must 
be  either  above  or  below  the  present  surface  of  the 
ground.  If  upon  a  new  avenue,  still  it  must  pass 
over  the  cross  streets  at  such  a  height  as  not  to  ob- 
struct  their  traffic,  or,  in  other  words,  must  be  eleva¬ 
ted  as  the  road  now  proposed.  If  the  road  should 
be  built  below  the  surface,  the  depth  of  the  excava¬ 
tion  must  be  at  least  as  great  as  the  height  required 


22 


for  an  elevated  road,  and  tlie  ascent  and  descent  in 
either  case  will  not  be  lessened. 

I  have  endeavored  to  present  the  foregoing  sug¬ 
gestions  in  a  form  as  much  condensed  as  is  consistent 
with  clearness,  and  have  omitted  many  statements 
which  would  be  proper  in  addressing  the  public  at 
large,  instead  of  a  body  of  gentlemen  whose  pro¬ 
fessional  experience  renders  such  amplification  un¬ 
necessary. 

As  to  location,  if  but  one  road  is  to  be  construct¬ 
ed,  the  line  of  Broadway  from  the  Battery  to  9tli 
Avenue,  with  a  branch  from  near  Union  Square  to 
Third  or  Second  Avenues,  and  thence  substantially 
following  the  lines  of  those  avenues,  is  clearly  indi¬ 
cated  as  a  natural  location ;  therefore  the  line  which 
shall  most  nearly  conform  to  it,  will  more  fully  ac¬ 
commodate  the  citizens  of  New  York  than  any  other 
single  route.  When  more  roads  are  needed  they 
may  be  constructed  along  other  avenues,  connecting 
with  the  lower  parts  of  the  city  on  such  streets  as 
may  be  most  convenient  and  feasible,  and  also  a  road 
built  around  the  Island  near  its  water  line. 

The  character  of  the  structures  proposed  in  various 
parts  of  the  city  I  think  should  b,e  substantially 
that  already  described.  It  may  be  modified  where 
the  width  of  the  street  requires  the  tangent  line  of 
the  outer  rib  to  be  produced  upward  to  give  head¬ 
room  for  the  passage  of  cars  through  the  frames, 
and  this  modification  may  be  made  until  the  width 
of  the  street  is  so  reduced  that  an  adequate  girder 
beam  becomes  more  economical  than  the  frames. 
The  same  modification  of  the  outer  rib  can  also  be 
employed  to  diminish  the  grades  of  the  railroad 


23 


from  those  existing  in  the  surface  of  the  streets. 
The  long  experience  of  inconvenience  and  danger  to 
the  public,  furnished  by  the  use  of  steam  on  rail¬ 
roads  on  Fourth  Avenue,  and  the  great  work  now  in 
progress  of  sinking  the  tracks  of  those  roads  solely 
to  obviate  that  difficulty,  present  conclusive  evi¬ 
dence  that  no  railroad  adapted  to  rapid  transit  can 
be  properly  placed  upon  the  surface  of  the  street 
anywhere  on  Manhattan  Island. 

I  herewith  submit,  as  requested,  and  oifer  my¬ 
self  to  criticism  for  excessive  employment  of  ma¬ 
terial,  estimates  of  the  cost  of  constructing  such  a 
road  as  is  proposed.  One  for  a  road  especially 
adapted  to  quick  transit  of  passengers,  and  the 
other  with  a  structure  made  competent  to  the  use 
of  ordinary  locomotives  and  the  trains  in  general 
use  throughout  the  country.  The  aggregate  cost  of 
that  for  passengers  only,  and  the  employment  of 
engines  weighing  six  tons,  will  not  exceed  $520,000 
per  mile.  The  total  cost  of  a  road  for  the  use  of 
the  ordinary  heavy  engines  and  trains  amounts  to 
$841,104  per  mile,  which  is  presented  in  detail, 
with  a  general  j3lan,  and  appended  hereto.  The 
latter  estimate  shows  a  largely  increased  cost  over 
the  one  for  passengers  only,  and  both  present  strik¬ 
ing  contrasts  in  cost  compared  with  the  under¬ 
ground  plan,  or  an  elevated  road  on  an  independent 
avenue. 

It  is  clearly  unnecessary  that  I  should  present 
to  you  a  complete  scientific  discussion  of  this  plan 
for  an  elevated  railroad,  which  employs  mainly  old 
and  well  approved  structures  under  new  combina¬ 
tions.  All  of  the  longitudinal  portion  of  the  struc- 


24 


ture  proposed  is  in  common  employment  under  tlie 
highest  velocities  reached  by  passenger  trains  at 
points  of  greatest  elevation,  and  required  safety — 
namely,  the  crossing  of  streams  and  mountain  gorges 
on  all  the  railroads  now  constructed  everywhere  in  the 
world.  If  the  transverse  frame  which  upholds  it 
is  made  of  iron  or  steel,  as  durable  and  capable  as  a 
granite  pier,  we  have  then  completed  a  double-track 
railroad  of  great  perfection,  and  free  from  the 
slightest  taint  of  experiment.  Is  there  a  civil  engi¬ 
neer  of  character,  culture,  and  experience  in  his  pro¬ 
fession  who  will  say  it  cannot  be  done  ?  I  desire, 
in  conclusion,  to  call  your  attention  briefly  to  some  of 
the  practical,  economic,  and  esthetic  reasons  which 
should  govern  conclusions  as  to  the  form  to  be 
adopted  for  sustaining  a  double  track  railroad  in 
the  vacant  and  unoccupied  space  over  the  center  of 
the  streets. 

One-lialf  of  the  weight  of  trains  passing  each 
other,  and  the  weight  of  the  longitudinal  trusses 
and  tracks,  is  received  at  the  apex  of  the  outer  ribs, 
and  carried  in  equal  parts  down  the  line  of  those 
ribs  to  the  foundations.  The  other  half  of  the 
weight  of  those  trains  is  simultaneously  received  by 
the  outer  ribs  in  equal  parts,  one-fourth  each  of  the 
whole  load,  near  the  intersections  of  the  upper  hor¬ 
izontal  girder-beam  with  those  ribs,  and  thence 
uniting  with  the  load  from  the  apex,  the  aggregate 
weight  is  carried  to,  and  received  vertically,  by  the 
foundations,  upon  which  the  whole  structure  stands 
square  and  Arm.  The  location  of  the  tracks,  the 
upper  and  lower  horizontal  girder-beams,  and  the 
elliptical  arch,  are,  by  the  aid  of  the  center,  quarter, 


25 


and  detail  connections,  designed  to  place  the  load  uni¬ 
formly  on  the  frame.  When  a  train  moves  upon  but 
one  of  the  tracks,  only  a  fourth  of  its  weight  is  trans¬ 
mitted  through  one  rib,  and  three-fourths  through 
the  other.  The  base  is  constant,  therefore  the  equi¬ 
librium  of  the  transverse  frames  is  not  only  very 
stable  when  the  tracks  supported  by  them  are  unoc¬ 
cupied,  but  at  all  times,  either  when  trains  are  pass¬ 
ing  each  other,  or  when  a  single  train  is  moving  over 
the  road,  and  the  necessary  strength  of  the  arches 
and  interior  connections,  for  the  greatest  service  re¬ 
quired,  will  be  found  quite  equal  to  maintaining 
their  form  under  a  partial  load. 

The  application  of  three  longitudinal  trusses, — a 
deep  center  truss  supported  from  the  apex  of  the 
arch,  with  competent  shallower  side-trusses,  all  se¬ 
cured  to  the  transverse  frame  which  supports  them, 
presents  many  reasons  favorable  to  their  employ¬ 
ment,  and  that  method  of  combination  in  forming  the 
whole  structure.  They  occupy  about  20  per  cent 
less  of  the  street  area  than  would  be  the  case  if  the 
tracks  were  carried  on  a  deep  truss  on  each  side,  be¬ 
tween  which  the  cars  must  pass,  ’  and  avoid  pre¬ 
senting  to  the  eye  of  passengers  a  continuous  net¬ 
work  of  iron,  and  the  difficulty  and  danger  of  access 
through  those  trusses.  The  top  chord  of  the  low 
side-trusses  being  below  the  car  windows,  would  give 
passengers  a  pleasant  view  of  the  sidewalks  and 
other  objects  unobstructed,  except  at  the  ribs,  about 
75  feet  apart,  and  at  all  times  they  would  ride  in 
full  light  and  open  air.  The  freedom  of  access  to 
the  cars  thus  attained, — the  top  chord  of  the  side- 
trusses,  the  platform  of  the  depots,  and  the  floor  of 


26 


the  cars,  being  on  the  same  level, — is  a  great  consid¬ 
eration.  Convenience,  pleasure,  and  economy  of 
space,  are  not  only  better  served,  but  the  cost  of  the 
structure  is  materially  diminished,  and  mechanically 
improved,  by  the  necessary  subdivision  of  the  floor- 
beams  which  uphold  the  tracks,  involved  in  the  em¬ 
ployment  of  three  trusses.  The  center  truss,  it  is 
true,  presents  panels  too  short  for  the  best  propor¬ 
tion  and  greatest  economy,  in  consequence  of  their 
conformity  to  the  panels  of  the  side-trusses,  but 
these  disadvantages  are  greatly  overcome  by  the  com¬ 
pactness,  economy,  and  symmetry  of  the  structure 
as  a  whole. 

The  fact  being  assumed  that  rapid  transit  in 
large  cities  can  be  effected  in  the  best  manner  by 
means  of  elevated  railways  over  the  centre  of  the 
streets  or  avenues,  it  is  evidently  of  the  utmost  im¬ 
portance  that  the  mode  of  their  construction  should 
be  in  the  best  practical  form  attainable,  and  also 
of  the  material  best  adapted  to  the  purpose. 

There  are  certain  conditions  which  are  inseparable 
from  a  satisfactory  accomplishment  of  the  object, 
which,  unless  they  involve  greatly  increased  cost, 
must  be  rigidly  adhered  to.  The  great  thoroughfares 
over  which  the  structure  will  be  raised,  must  not  be 
obstructed.  Light  and  air  must  be  excluded  from 
adjacent  buildings  in  the  least  possible  degree. 
For  durability  and  safety,  the  material  must  be  iron 
or  steel,  employed  as  science  and  experience  indicate, 
while  elegance  of  form  can  by  no  means  be  neglected. 
Several  plans  have  been  recommended,  but  it  is  evi¬ 
dent  that  the  most  approved  truss  used  for  bridges, 
supported  at  intervals  of  about  seventy -five  feet,  by 


27 


suitable  transverse  frames  extending  from  curb  to 
curb,  admits  in  tbe  best  possible  manner  of  a  full 
compliance  with  the  conditions  required. 

It  may  be  suggested  that  strength  and  economy 
would  be  met  most  effectually  by  avoiding  curvature 
in  the  construction  of  the  transverse  frames,  and  by 
the  adoption  for  a  general  plan  of  inclined  straight 
posts  to  sustain  the  superstructure.  This  form  of 
construction,  for  the  great  object  under  discussion 
will  hardly  find  advocates,  even  if  it  were  the  least 
costly,  which  cannot  be  successfully  maintained. 

In  the  early  stages  of  civilization  the  rudest  kind 
of  architecture  prevailed.  Straight  timber  and 
square  blocks  of  stone  were  naturally  resorted  to  as 
the  simplest  method  of  meeting  the  wants  of  the 
community ;  but  as  people  became  wealthy  the  skill 
of  the  architect  was  patronized,  and  beauty  of  form 
combined  with  strength,  constituted  the  object  of 
their  ambition.  In  no  instance  does  history  afford 
so  remarkable  an  example  of  success  in  this  particu¬ 
lar,  nor  is  there  at  the  present  time  any  structures 
so  incomparably  elegant,  while  possessing  the  maxi¬ 
mum  of  stability,  as  in  the  ancient  Gothic  architec¬ 
ture  of  Northern  Europe.  Lightness,  grandeur,  and 
durability  exhibit  irresistible  arguments  in  favor  of 
the  great  principles  of  form  from  which  these  build¬ 
ings  originated.  They  remain  as  monuments  of  the 
genius,  knowledge,  and  taste  of  their  founders. 

The  necessary  proportions  of  a  transverse  frame 
for  an  elevated  railway  on  a  street  from  forty  to 
sixty  feet  wide,  constructed  in  the  form  of  a  Gothic 
arch,  very  nearly  correspond  with  those  of  West¬ 
minster  Abbey  and  several  other  churches  renowned 


28 


for  their  great  beauty.  Nothing  more  elegant  can 
be  devised  for  the  purpose  ;  and  while  possessing 
ample  strength  and  remarkable  compactness  and 
stability,  its  slight  curvature  does  not  require  a 
greater  aggregate  weight  of  material  than  the  angu¬ 
lar  form  which  the  straight-line  system  involves. 
The  city  of  New  York,  for  which  such  a  great  des¬ 
tiny  is  universally  conceded,  cannot  permit  a  per¬ 
manent  structure  on  the  lines  of  its  streets  and  ave¬ 
nues  which  fails  to  present  a  combination  of  gran¬ 
deur,  grace,  and  utility  in  harmony  with  the  best 
architectural  features  of  the  city,  and  competent  for 
the  uses  of  its  citizens. 

Very  respectfully  submitted, 

RICHARD  P.  MORGAN,  Jr., 

Civil  Engineer. 

Bloomington,  Ill.,  ) 
k  October,  1874.  j 


APPENDIX. 


Estimated  cost  of  the  Gothic  Arch  Elevated  Railroad,  adapted  to 
Broadway,  New  York,  to  support  a  double  track,  of  ordinary 
gauge,  and  competent  to  a  moving  load  of  2,000  lbs.  per  lineal 
foot  on  each  track, — the  coefficient  of  safety  not  less  than  .six 
(6) — the  whole  to  be  completed  in  a  thoroughly  workmanlike 
and  tasteful  manner. 

Estimate  for  one  span ,  75  feet. 

Foundations  (approximate  average  from  the  Bat¬ 
tery  to  Fourteenth  street),  excavation  and  filling : 


150  cubic  yards,  @  40c .  $60  00 

20  cubic  yards  masonry,  @  $16.00 .  320  00 

Iron  in  one  transverse  frame  : 

Round  iron,  wrought,  2,000  lbs.  @  8c . .  160  00 

I  beams  and  plates,  40,000  lbs.  @  8c .  3,200  00 

Cast  iron  bed-plates,  etc.,  10,000  lbs.  @  6c .  600  00 

Iron  in  longitudinal  trusses,  one  span : 

Girders,  37,875  lbs. 

Cross-girders,  12,900  lbs. 

Underwork,  8,850  lbs.  =  59,525  lbs.  @  8c .  4,762  00 

Rails,  etc. : 


Steel  rails,  plates  and  bolts,  7,500  lbs.  @  5c. .  . .  375  00 

Medium : 

Between  the  steel-rails  and  the  iron  cross-girder 


beams,  $5.00  per  lineal  foot .  375  00 

Stations  and  entrance-ways : 

Four  per  mile,  two  on  each  side,  at  $10,000  each, 

equals  rate  per  section  of  75  feet .  520  00 

Painting  and  finish : 

Three  coats  of  paint,  @  6c .  489  60 

Engineering  and  contingencies,  10  per  cent .  1,086  16 

Total  for  75  feet . $  1 1,947  76 


$11,947.76  -r-  75  =  $159t3q^-  per  lineal  foot. 
$159.30  x  5280  =  $84l,104,  total  cost  per  mile. 


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